Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910

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Go directly to the collection, Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.

The texts of Pioneering the Upper Midwest, ca. 1820-1910 facilitate projects in which one can practice a variety of language arts, from travel writing to poetry analysis, while learning about history. Additionally, the overlap of this collection's historical content with that of other American Memory collections affords users of the collections opportunities to make well-researched, dynamic, multimedia documentaries.

From the Narrative of Sojourner Truth to reminiscences of pioneer life, the collection includes numerous biographies and autobiographies about courageous individuals. In addition to learning about Sojourner Truth's antislavery and women's rights activism, you can read about the personal strength required of pioneer Hastings Hufford in Then Came May. Then write a chapter of a biography of someone you know who displays courage in his or her own way.

Select a topic such as the pioneer experience, woman suffrage, Native-American culture, railroads, or exploration. Then, search the collection for information about the topic and for images, letters, journals, and biographies to use in a short documentary. Write a script that explains the topic in your own words and illustrate your points with examples from the collection. Texts can be incorporated through dramatic readings. If you don't have the facilities or equipment to make a video, present your documentary live or create a storyboard to show what the video would be like.

Bide Waters and George Fisher, "River Hogs"

• Votes for Women, 1848-1921
• "Votes for Women" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920
• Railroad Maps, 1828-1900

Images:

• With Pen and Pencil on the Frontier in 1851
• The Standard Guide; Mackinac Island and Northern Lake Resorts
• A Gallery of Pen Sketches in Black and White of our Michigan Friends "As We See 'Em"
• Marquette, Mackinac Island and the "Soo"
• Souvenir

Audio:

• "River Drivers' Song"
• "Swedish Fiddle Tune from Wisconsin Woods"

Travel Writing and Tourist Guides

The collection boasts many examples of travel writing and tourist guides. Browse the Subject Index for the heading, Description and travel - Guidebooks, or browse the Title Index to find texts such as A Merry Briton in Pioneer Wisconsin and The Standard Guide; Mackinac Island and Northern Lake Resorts. Practice descriptive and persuasive writing by composing a chapter from a guidebook for the area in which you live or do some travel writing. Even if the travel is just between school or work and home, you can practice observation, description, and creation of a literary tone. The Standard Guide; Mackinac Island and Northern Lake Resorts.

Letters

Read some of the many letters in the collection to analyze the techniques by which people convey different sentiments and create different moods in writing. Start with a study of wit and humor in Intimate Letters of Carl Schurz, 1841-1869.

The poem "White Pigeon's Grave" appeared in the White Pigeon Republican on May 29, 1839. It describes the construction of a pioneer's home on the site of an Indian chief's grave. The poem can lead to discussions of the effectiveness of poetry in expressing feeling and the widespread public use of poetry during the nineteenth century. Write your own poems about incidents described in the collection or in current newspapers.

A number of the books included in the collection provide examples of local color or regionalism. A selection from G. W. Featherstonhaugh's A Canoe Voyage up the Minnay Sotor is but one example of this genre. Compare this work with selections from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, keeping in mind the following questions:

• What are the techniques used to create local color?
• What are the effects of local color upon the reader?
• Why might an author use local color?

The art and potential power of public speaking is exemplified by Sojourner Truth's famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech (pages 133-135) [Transcription] , given at the Woman's Rights Convention of 1851. Try presenting the speech yourself. Present it for others if possible and discuss the techniques and elements that make this address so memorable